My driving question has been evolving for months the more I learn, the more I observe, and the more data I collect the more I realize there is no one question that we can ask there are many layers to our student and their learning styles. We must first get to know our student by asking them questions creating an "End User" survey. We can't make assumptions about them and their learning we need to really ask them.Once we really get to know our students and their needs then we proceed with our research continually making modification for students needs as we progress.
The audience for my research is math teachers and decision makers ! We need to take a serious look at the reason why students are not passing Math 1 but even more why do we put them in the same exact class the next year expecting them to do better. I wondered how student would do if we offered them a new and innovative way to learn math if would they experience more success. Many students entering my Math class at Valley Oak High School have failed 3 to 4 semester of Math 1 before the enter my class. This is an equity issue since Algebra 1/Math 1 is considered a gateway to higher level math and science classes. So I believe this is a real conversation that we need be having. I am aware that often we need some data to illustrate the reason to consider this change. My driving question "What is it about coding that supports struggling students in experiencing success in Math 1 ? " My results are positive students are experiencing success and they are also learning a valuable skill in today's world which is coding. Beyond coding these students are learning the skills of collaboration, problem solving, attention to detail, and perseverance. Just this week I gave the MI test and as I looked through the list of all of our math students I realized that all of our students at Valley Oak are below basic. I do think we have many students with higher skills than that but often they do not try since they see no value to them personally if they do well. But I also embrace the challenge of trying to raise their scores but there are also question I wonder which are how can we motivate students to care, is this the best measure of their skill level, and what other measures should we consider. I hope my research will help I am tracking student growth on the MI, assignment completion , comparing coding vs. traditional assignments, rate of students passing the class, as well as students comments and feedback. Coding seems to level the playing field allowing all students to be on the same level learning and collaborating. Besides learning Math 1 these students are also learning how to code both of these skill can provide opportunities for higher level learning. I am excited to continue to develop my pedagogy and coding skills to continue to create positive change and positive data to spark a movement for our students repeating Math 1.
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I was very nervous to start this program I have always been a life long learner but putting myself into the shoes of a students with due dates and pushing myself to write that research paper, it has been a journey. This process has grown my teaching world and my confidence and as challenging as it has been I am glad I am on this journey. I think for me one of the best parts of this program has been the people in this cohort !! I feel very fortunate to be in a cohort with such kind and caring people. This cohort has a wonderful diversity of experiences, knowledge, and skill which is such an asset. The love and support I feel has also been so wonderful. I have pondered doing this program many times and I am so glad that I waited to be a part of this cohort, the force was with me. This is an image that illustrates to me how well we all work together. We do all of these things for each other regularly. I have so enjoyed our group discussions, collaboration on projects, and support when we are confused about expectations or other challenges that pop up. I have enjoyed this because even though we talk about the value of collaboration as educators we often struggle to do this ourselves. Not COHORT 16 we are excellent collaborators and it has inspired me to strive for more collaboration with my staff at school. Collaboration is just so much easier with like minded innovators wanting to create change. My hope for this Capstone class is that we all get to know each other better and to continue to share our best practices and the work we have all been working on for this culmination The Capstone. There is just such wonderful knowledge and skills in this group I want to continue to grow our network together, I hope that we continue to stay connected and be a resource for each other.
I also need to again shout out to my study buddy Rafa ! This entire process has been so much easier because we are at the same site and we are in this together. He challenges me and I vent to him . We are both so excited to be learning and we share a similar goal of supporting our struggling math students which has also been great. He has attended workshop with me and we just keep learning. Before this experience I felt very alone in my quest to learn and grow as a teacher and now I feel very connected to like minded innovators. Jane I am excited to learn from you as we celebrate our learning! I want to start my final blog for 791 by thanking my fellow Innovative Teachers in this amazing Cohort. It is our collaboration, support, and desire to learn that has helped me to grow and learn, special shout out to my study buddy Rafa ! I am going to take this time to reflect on all my learning in an attempt to sort out my thought so I have some clarity to move forward and continue on this journey. The Journey started with Dervin and I hated the read I was so confused it made me crazy but I must now reflect that were some important things from this reading that did stick and are a part of my thinking as a educator. One of the most important thing I learned was that "sense-making needs to be studied from the perspective of the actor" for me that is my students of fellow teachers. This has been one of the most important things that I learned in this class. This is the end user for me and during class I know I had many questions about this due to my need to really process it and be frustrated and now finally seeing the importance. In education we have a huge lack of really asking the kids we make many assumptions and often try to make students all learn the same way but we can't we are all different with different experiences and we need options. I think that is what technology provides to us as educators options for how we present material as well as options for how student engage and interact with the materials. I have been traveling this triangle throughout this class and I kept asking questions until I received information I needed to fill my gap. I know realize how important Dervin's study is she made it possible to really understand that we must now what the "information needs" of our student are if we are going to conduct a study to create the change that our students really need not what we think they need. My important take away from Dervin is the sense making triangle and the need for what she called the "Help Chain" or we called the End User guide. As I sit in meeting and listen or watch my students in class I find Dervin often popping into my mind this has made me a more sensitive teacher really thinking about students true needs, giving students more of a voice. Then there was Baggio and her thoughts and ideas we so clear as they should be she was talking about things we can all relate to since most of us are visual learners. She has given me a fresh perspective on visual learning. When I make presentations I really think about my visuals and text. Another important learning moment was her discussing cognitive overload. I do that to my students often and I do it to myself, I am working on it. She discussed the trilogy of mind. We need to remember to reach the affective domain, cognitive domain, and conative domain as we teach. I appreciated the 5 strategies for aligning visuals and connecting learning objectives.
Finally the SAMR Model which really points out the need to use Technology in new and innovative ways. The focus must be on transforming teaching and learning. Technology must be a redefinition allowing for the creation of new innovative tasks, or it must be a modification allowing for innovative redesign. Tech must not just be augmentation or substitution, that is not innovation. This has been a great journey and I feel different, I look at situations differently, I see the need in education differently, and I now have different frustrations.
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Julie LovieJulie Lovie Is a Math and Science teacher at Valley Oak High School with 25 years experience in teaching at a continuation high school. Julie Also teaches at Napa valley Adult School in the High School Diploma Program. She is passionate about the environment, loves gardening, and learning. Archives
June 2019
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